Browsing by Author "Pamela Amia"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Facebook and Political Communication: An Analysis of Uganda’s January 2021 General Elections
    (2024-10-18) Pamela Amia
    The study sought to analyze Facebook usage as a tool for political communication, and expression of freedom of speech during the 2021 general elections in Uganda. It examined ways through which Facebook was used as a tool of communication during the 2021 Ugandan presidential elections; investigated challenges encountered in using Facebook as a tool for freedom of expression, documented lessons learned, and proposed solutions to overcome challenges faced. The study utilized a descriptive research design with a mixed research approach. Data was collected from a sample of 568 Facebook posts with 33,807,275 engagements through content analysis and 12 interview participants. The study was premised on the Social Media Engagement (SME) theory. The study findings show that the presidential candidates used Facebook as a virtual mode of campaign to disseminate political information to the electorate. Meanwhile, the results showed that there was use of Facebook as a tool to exercise freedom of speech. Challenges highlighted included blackmail, hate speech, propaganda, government interference, and misinformation. Key recommendations, in this study, for overcoming challenges in using Facebook for political communication include leveraging alternative communication channels, building a strong following, promoting digital literacy, professionalizing social media strategies, implementing best practices on Facebook, and government involvement in facilitating internet access and promoting ICT infrastructure to enhance political efficacy and freedom of speech. For using Facebook in political communication, the study recommends growing social media following, utilizing visual content, engaging the public through live content, asking and answering questions, fact-checking content, targeting younger social media users, government enabling free elections, using social media to amplify messages and counter misinformation, and acknowledging the democratization of expression through social media.